Posts tagged PacWest
PacWest Conference Continues 3v3 Momentum at UC San Diego Tournament
1 month
La Jolla, CA, March 7, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at University of California, San Diego on Saturday, March 7, 2026, continuing the region’s adoption of the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format ahead of the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this April.
The tournament brought together 25 athletes from two schools for the 3v3 portion of the tournament, with teams from UC San Diego and UC Riverside competing in both poomsae and sparring divisions.
Liam Blanchard, PacWest Board Member, noted:
“The 3v3 event opened up a world of collegiate taekwondo that our athletes hadn’t seen before. In both poomsae and kyorugi, athletes were ecstatic to compete in and learn more about this format that has expanded the size of tournaments all over the nation. PacWest South might’ve been the first time they had tried it, but immediately afterwards, athletes were already talking about the next tournament where they could compete as a team.”
In A-Team Poomsae, UC San Diego PA1—Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, and Alyx Wikarsa—captured the gold medal with a strong synchronized performance. UCSD PA3, consisting of Kathleen Adhinatha and Sneha Aravind, earned silver, while UCSD PA2—Anderson Lai and Achintya Rai—took bronze. In B-Team Poomsae, UC Riverside PB1—Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, and Amy Hoang—secured the gold medal.
Nick Bayhi, member of the NCTA Tournament Committee, highlighted the energy of the competition and the PacWest region’s unique spin on the format:
“Big thanks to UC Riverside and hosts UCSD for filling out our 3v3 brackets. The Poomsae A-teams put on a clinic of 1-, 2-, and 3-person poomsae, performing Sipjin simultaneously with their opponents—a fun twist that PacWest has added to the 3v3 format.”
Team sparring divisions also produced exciting matches. UC Riverside claimed gold in Men’s A Team Sparring with UCR MA1—Aaron Choi, Edward Park, and Aric Vootkur—while UCR MA2 earned silver and UCSD MA1—Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, and Pranav Puttagunta—took bronze. In Men’s C Team Sparring, UCR MC1—Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, and Adrian Deapera—won gold, followed by UCR MC2—Lawrence Tran and Jake Fong—with silver. UCR WA1—Chaeie Kim and Ashley Chan—captured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, UC Riverside emerged as the tournament champion with 16 points, followed by UC San Diego with 7 points.
The tournament further demonstrated the growing excitement around the 3v3 team format within the PacWest region. With athletes gaining valuable experience in this team-based competition structure, both schools are now preparing to represent the West Coast at the NCTA Cup during the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCSD PA1 – Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, Alyx Wikarsa
🥈 UCSD PA3 – Kathleen Adhinatha, Sneha Aravind
🥉 UCSD PA2 – Anderson Lai, Achintya Rai
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCR PB1 – Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, Amy Hoang
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 UCR MA1 – Aaron Choi, Edward Park, Aric Vootkur
🥈 UCR MA2 – Issei Lim, Edison Park
🥉 UCSD MA1 – Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, Pranav Puttagunta
Men’s C Division
🥇 UCR MC1 – Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, Adrian Deapera
🥈 UCR MC2 – Lawrence Tran, Jake Fong
Women’s A Division
🥇 UCR WA1 – Chaeie Kim, Ashley Chan
Overall Team Standings
🥇 UC Riverside – 16 points
🥈 UC San Diego – 7 points
PacWest Conference Debuts 3v3 Competition Format at Stanford Tournament
1 month
Stanford, CA, February 21, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at Stanford University on Saturday, February 21, 2026, marking the first time the conference experimented with the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format. The format mirrors the structure that will be used at the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill later this spring.
A total of 30 athletes from five schools participated in the 3v3 portion of the tournament, creating an energetic competition environment that emphasized teamwork, school spirit, and camaraderie.
Several teams delivered standout performances throughout the event. In A-Team Poomsae, Berkeley PA1—Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, and Elyna Dotimas—captured the gold medal. Stanford PA1, consisting of Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, and Jose Luiz Nunes, earned silver, while Berkeley PA2—Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, and Isha Tailor—and UC Davis PA1—Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, and Angelina Cuan—shared bronze.
In B-Team Poomsae, UC Davis PB1—Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, and Olivia Chu—took first place, followed by Berkeley PB1—Julia Grilli and Derek Deng—with silver. Stanford PB1—Elliott Rodgers and Louise Schul—earned bronze. In C-Team Poomsae, USF PC1—Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, and Raphe Lim—claimed the gold medal.
Team sparring divisions also saw strong participation. Fresno State captured gold in Men’s A, B, and C Team Sparring, while Stanford secured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring and USF took gold in Women’s C Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, Fresno State emerged as the tournament champion. Stanford earned second place, while UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco tied for third place.
Jamsheed Mistri, Secretary General of the PacWest Taekwondo Conference, reflected on the success of the event:
“Hosting the NCTA-style 3v3 event for the first time in PacWest was a blast—athletes, coaches, and spectators alike were excited about the event. We are thrilled to see the event grow on the west coast and further promote school spirit, camaraderie, and respect through competition.”
The tournament served as an important step for the PacWest region as more collegiate programs prepare to compete in the team-based format. Athletes are now looking ahead to competing in the NCTA Cup at the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 Berkeley PA1 – Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, Elyna Dotimas
🥈 Stanford PA1 – Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, Jose Luiz Nunes
🥉 Berkeley PA2 – Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, Isha Tailor
🥉 UC Davis PA1 – Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, Angelina Cuan
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UC Davis PB1 – Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, Olivia Chu
🥈 Berkeley PB1 – Julia Grilli, Derek Deng
🥉 Stanford PB1 – Elliott Rodgers, Louise Schul
C-Team Poomsae
🥇 USF PC1 – Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, Raphe Lim
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 Fresno MA1 – Devin Cornell, Prahchomvong Thay
Men’s B Division
🥇 Fresno MB1 – Omar Acevedo
Men’s C Division
🥇 Fresno MC1 – Jose Severiano, Tony Ortiz
🥈 Fresno MC2 – Daniel Cruz
Women’s A Division
🥇 Stanford WA1 – Laney Flanagan
Women’s B Division
🥇 Fresno WB1 – Alexandra Johnson
Women’s C Division
🥇 USF WC1 – Charish Holland
Overall Team Standings
🥇 Fresno State
🥈 Stanford
🥉 UC Berkeley
🥉 University of San Francisco
